Press Room

"The right to shelter does not expire in a set number of days, or in the face of dire need. I thank the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless for their fight to preserve this vital right, and the victories they’ve won today. The terms of this settlement, while temporary, are critical in preserving the underlying right to shelter, and to addressing some of the most egregious issues plaguing the system for both newly arriving migrants and longtime New Yorkers.While I believe that the time limits for placements remain worryingly short, this agreement will help to ensure that our newest New Yorkers are afforded more liveable conditions amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis, as well as addressing the need for more shelter space in a less jarring and haphazard way.  

"Today’s settlement is critical, but it is only one among many efforts needed to secure not only shelter but long-term housing for New Yorkers. This case was rooted in the arrival of asylum seekers, but the administration’s attacks on the right to shelter, and the state’s efforts to completely ignore it, began long before the first buses arrived at Port Authority. My office will closely monitor implementation of this agreement as we continue to work for more sustainable long-term solutions to the longstanding housing and homelessness crisis in our city." 

"As Speaker Adams made clear in her address, helping New Yorkers find, afford, and stay in their homes is central to the state of our city. In addition to the vital efforts to create more deeply affordable units in neighborhoods citywide and protect tenants, it’s critical to fight deed theft and other unscrupulous efforts to force largely Black and Brown families from their homes and financial security. My office and I have been on the ground in neighborhoods most targeted, working with residents, and I would be proud to support the Council’s efforts to house New Yorkers now and for generations.

"In addition, as the Speaker noted, any policy is only as effective as its execution and implementation. I am glad to see the Speaker strengthening the Council’s oversight role, in addition to existing accountability tools. The state of our city depends on having a government that is fully staffed, fully functional, and fully committed to helping New Yorkers in need through essential services.” 

On Monday, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams pushed for increasing funding for both enforcement and development by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) in the city’s budget. Earlier that day, HPD secured an arrest warrant for Daniel Ohebshalom, number one on the Public Advocate’s Worst Landlord Watchlist. In a Council preliminary budget hearing with the Committee on Housing and Buildings, the Public Advocate emphasized the importance of increasing resources and staffing to support creating additional affordable units and improving dangerous conditions. 

“Our housing agencies have faced high attrition rates, with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development losing nearly a third of its full-time employees, many of whom were experienced staff, in the period between April 2020 and October 2022,” Public Advocate Williams stated. “As of January 2024, the vacancy rate for HPD was 7.7%, accounting for 205 positions. While there are clear indications that HPD has rebounded from pandemic lows with production in fiscal year 2023, which we’re happy about, rising from the low point of the previous fiscal year, staffing shortages continue to negatively impact the agency’s capacity.”

On Ohebshalom’s arrest warrant, the Public Advocate noted “He was on the list for many years, and number one two years in a row, and as I said before, I don’t think anything is going to change until arrests are made or buildings are taken away – and what I’m glad to see is that the administration is moving in the right direction.” Public Advocate Williams made increased resources for HPD enforcement a central point of releasing the 2024 Worst Landlord Watchlist, which Daniel Ohebshalom and Johnathan Santana topped. 

In his statement, he highlighted the urgent need for infrastructure safety measures and precautions against fires, specifically the more recent and deadly lithium-ion battery fires, and their relation to landlord abandonment. “We need more inspectors in both HPD and DOB who can identify violations that can potentially cause collapses and fires and further address emergency complaints. It just shows how the type of cuts that we’ve heard about before really impact people’s lives.”

At a press conference earlier Monday, the Public Advocate spoke in support of the “Homes Now, Homes for Generations” initiative which would invest $2 billion in HPD over four years in order to help support the creation of deeply affordable housing. To close the hearing, he reiterated this message: that preservation is necessary for any housing plan to work effectively.

The Public Advocate's full statement as delivered is below.

STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND BUILDINGS MARCH 11, 2024

Good afternoon,  My name is Jumaane D. Williams and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. Thank you very much to Chair Sanchez and members of the Committee on Housing and Buildings for holding this hearing and allowing me the opportunity to provide a statement. Just first before I even get this statement, before the statement was written, this morning there was an announcement, an arrest of Daniel Ohebshalom, so I just want to congratulate HPD and the administration. I did read in your press release that there was a reference to his name being on lists of worst landlords, I’m sure it was an unintentional omission, but those lists are Public Advocate lists, we’re very proud of those. He was on the list for many years, and number one two years in a row, and as I said before, I don’t think anything is going to change until arrests are made or buildings are taken away, and what I’m glad to see is that the administration is moving in the right direction.  New York City’s housing crisis has progressively worsened over the past couple of years with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating it in every aspect. Our housing agencies have faced high attrition rates with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) losing nearly a third of its full-time employees, many of whom were experienced staff, in the period between April 2020 and October 2022. As of January 2024, the vacancy rate for HPD was 7.7%, accounting for 205 positions. While there are clear indications that HPD has rebounded from pandemic lows with production in FY23, which we’re happy about,  rising from the low point of the previous fiscal year, staffing shortages continue to negatively impact the agency’s capacity. The average time for capital project completion has increased as well as median times for application approval in the housing lottery, up to 192 days from the previous median of 88 – leaving affordable units sitting empty for months on end. And I will be speaking about DOB later, but I’d like to say: With a vacancy rate of 5.6%, the Department of Buildings (DOB) faces similar staffing challenges, having met only 43% of its goals in the first few months of FY24. From building and parking lot collapses to dangerous crane incidents, there is a concerning trend in overall infrastructure and building safety. According to the Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report, enforcement inspections fell 4.3% even as development inspections completed rose by 9.5%. DOB also issued fewer violations and average wait times for construction and plumbing inspections increased as a result of ongoing budget constraints and staffing shortages.  Finally, I want to highlight a trend in all five boroughs—fires and crippling infrastructures. The Bronx, in particular, has experienced many tragedies due to landlord abandonment and neglect and it’s no surprise that these fires are taking place in communities of more color. There has also been an increase in lithium-ion battery fires throughout the city. In 2022, these batteries caused 220 fires and six deaths and in 2023 they caused 243 fires and 17 deaths and 124 injuries. The most recent lithium-ion battery fire that took place last month in Harlem causing the death of Fazil Khan, a young journalist, was truly a tragic incident that could have been prevented. It is critical that we maintain the ample funding that provides these vital services to residents that survived a fire. In addition, we need more inspectors in both HPD and DOB who can identify violations that can potentially cause collapses and fires and further address emergency complaints. It just shows how the type of cuts that we’ve heard about before really impact people’s lives.  I hope during today’s hearing the administration will provide more information on the issues I highlighted in my statement. We cannot have unsafe and weakening infrastructure that puts New Yorkers at risk everyday. I would also like to know if the administration plans to end the hiring freeze and meet the goal of being fully staffed for HPD and DOB. For any housing plan to be successful, preservation has to be  a large part of it, and that means making sure we’re taking care of the infrastructure. Thank you so much. 

"Accountability for the worst landlords in our city is the only route to changing their practices and the unlivable conditions at their buildings. Daniel Ohebshalom has spent years at the top of our Worst Landlord Watchlist, and in recent months he has lost millions of dollars in settlements, lost control of one of his buildings, and now, faces arrest. When tenant power is combined with the resources of the city, we can bring penalties that are more than the cost of doing business.  

"Ohebshalom is an example, not an outlier. Hopefully today’s escalation is a sign of a renewed commitment by the city to holding bad actors accountable – and a signal to the worst landlords around our city that severe negligence will lead to severe consequences. We can’t stop at one building or owner – we need to change the systems that have permitted putting profit over people for too long."

How many surges of law enforcement into the subway will satisfy the political desire of city and state leaders to address riders’ fears being fanned by those same leaders? This is the fifth or sixth in recent years, and even in response to real concerns and crimes, it remains unsustainable.

Militarizing the subway with the National Guard and suggesting a wholesale ban on individuals from accessing public transportation are dangerous misuses of resources which could be better spent addressing these issues at their root. It’s one thing to have conductors announce increased police presence on the platform. It’s another entirely to further criminalize the public on public transit while neglecting the real improvements these resources could be devoted to, like fixing the subway itself.

New Yorkers deserve to be and feel safe on our subway. So instead of posturing to look ‘tough on crime,’ stuck in the same conversations, let’s get serious about safety, and what it actually involves.

NEW YORK: New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams advanced legislation in the City Council today which would prohibit discrimination in issuing credit and mandate transparency in the process. In a hearing of the Committees on Consumer and Worker Protection and Civil and Human Rights today, he argued the bill would protect against the kind of discrimination which has pervaded lending practices for decades.

“Currently, there are federal laws such as the Truth in Lending Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act that provide safeguards for consumers in their dealings with lenders and creditors,” said Public Advocate Williams. “The city should enact similar policies at the local level that fortify existing consumer protection laws.”

Specifically, the Public Advocate’s legislation, Intro 401, would prohibit discrimination based on an individual’s membership in a protected class in the issuance of credit and would require creditors to disclose to potential borrowers how their rate is calculated. It would deem it an unlawful discriminatory practice for any creditor or any officer, agent or employee to discriminate in the granting, withholding, extending or renewing of any form of credit on the basis of an applicant’s race, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, gender, and disability, among other classifications.

The bill was originally introduced in 2016, following a $24 million settlement with Honda alleging that Honda creditors engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination. In the decade since, the problem has persisted, including a similar settlement with Citigroup in 2023 and ongoing suits against Wells Fargo and other lenders.

“Intro 401 could help hundreds of thousands of people applying for mortgages, small business loans, and other types of credit,” argued the Public Advocate. “Having in place a law that mandates transparency in how a person’s interest rate is calculated will also protect groups of people in this city that face historical discrimination and unfair treatment when it comes to banking, homeownership, and accessing financial opportunities.” Read the Public Advocate’s full statement to the committee below, and the text of Intro 401 here. 

STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER AND WORKER PROTECTION AND COMMITTEE ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Good morning, My name is Jumaane D. Williams and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I would like to thank Chairs Menin, Williams, and members of the Committees on Consumer and Worker Protection, and Civil and Human Rights for holding this hearing. 

Today, I will be speaking on Introduction 0401-2024, of which I am the prime sponsor. The bill would prohibit discrimination based on an individual’s membership in a protected class in the issuance of credit and would require creditors to disclose to potential borrowers how their rate is calculated. More specifically, the bill would deem it an unlawful discriminatory practice for any creditor or any officer, agent or employee to discriminate in the granting, withholding, extending or renewing of any form of credit on the basis of an applicant’s race, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, gender, and disability, among other classifications.

I first introduced this bill during my tenure as a councilmember in 2016. The bill’s original introduction in 2016 was inspired by a $24 million settlement alleging that Honda creditors “engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against African-American, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander borrowers in auto lending.” It has been nearly ten years since the bill was introduced, and the need for it still remains. In 2023, Citigroup settled for $26 million for claims that its employees denied Armenian-Americans fair access to Citigroup credit cards. Mortgage lenders such as Wells Fargo and Navy Federal Credit Union also faced heightened scrutiny and lawsuits on their lending practices and pricing disparities, notably between Black and Latino homeowners and white homeowners. I met with Wells Fargo myself shortly before the news broke, and they vehemently tried to suggest this was not the case, while it was really clear that it is.

Currently, there are federal laws such as the Truth in Lending Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act that provide safeguards for consumers in their dealings with lenders and creditors. The city should enact similar policies at the local level that fortify existing consumer protection laws. Int. 0401-2024 could help hundreds of thousands of people applying for mortgages, small business loans, and other types of credit. Having in place a law that mandates transparency in how a person’s interest rate is calculated will also protect groups of people in this city that face historical discrimination and unfair treatment when it comes to banking, homeownership, and accessing financial opportunities. I urge my colleagues to sign onto this bill and hope for its subsequent passage. 

Thank you.